Intergenerational Trauma Among Asian American & Asian Immigrant Communities (Webinar Series)
Webinar 1: Background & Impacts
Recording & Slides
December 12, 2023
About
In this webinar, we will delve into the profound impacts of intergenerational trauma on Asian American & Asian immigrant (AAAI) communities. Drawing on historical events, cultural context, personal narratives, and relevant research/case studies, we will explore how trauma may be “passed down” through generations and how it shapes the mental health, physical health, and identity of Asian Americans and immigrants today. We will discuss the ways in which systemic racism, immigration challenges, and cultural expectations contribute to intergenerational trauma, and will provide insight into how individuals and communities can work towards healing. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between history, culture, and mental health in Asian American communities, and will be equipped with therapeutic resources and strategies to support those affected by intergenerational trauma.
Learning Objectives
As a result of attending this webinar, participants will be able to:
Describe at least two effects of intergenerational trauma on the physical health of AAAI individuals.
Describe at least two effects of intergenerational trauma on the mental/psychological health of AAAI individuals.
Identify at least two strategies on how to support the healing of AAAI individuals affected by intergenerational trauma.
*Continuing Education: RAMS is approved by the California Psychological Association (CPA) to provide continuing professional education for psychologists. For this webinar, RAMS is offering 1.5 hours of continuing education for psychologists, LMFTs, LCSWs, and LPCCs. RAMS maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.
Moderator:
Cruz Chan, LMFT, RDT
Clinical Manager, Healing for Asians at Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc. (RAMS)
Trainer, Lotus Project
Email: cruzchan@ramsinc.org
A Cantonese and Mandarin-speaking clinician, Cruz graduated from California Institute of Integral Studies (San Francisco), with a Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Drama Therapy. In Cruz's new role as Clinical Manager, Cruz will be further developing the RAMS Healing for Asians program which provides trauma informed mental health services to limited English speaking Asian victims of crime. This RAMS program is part of San Francisco’s multi-system, initial answer and collaborative solution to the “Anti-Asian Hate”. Cruz is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist as well as a Registered Drama Therapist. Cruz's background also includes providing mental health services to children, youth, families and adults at RAMS outpatient and school-based programs. Prior to clinical work, Cruz has also participated in many drama performances and was a radio host and producer in Macau. Currently, Cruz is actively receiving training in psychodrama under the guidelines of the American Board of Examiner of Psychodrama, Group Psychotherapy and Sociometry (ABE), and presented in the 2020 North American Drama Therapy Association Conference.
Speakers:
Andrew Wooyoung Kim, PhD
Assistant Professor of Anthropology, UC Berkeley
Email: awkim@berkeley.edu
Slides
Andrew Wooyoung Kim is a biological anthropologist interested in the lifecourse and intergenerational health consequences of historical trauma and the contributions of such knowledge to movements for collective healing and racial justice. Dr. Kim’s current research examines neuroendocrine and inflammatory pathways underlying the intergenerational effects of trauma and political violence from apartheid, as well as processes of reversibility and healing, in Soweto and Johannesburg, South Africa. His work explores these questions in collaboration with a 30-year project called “Birth to Thirty,” a birth cohort study based in Soweto & Johannesburg, South Africa that enrolled over 3000 pregnant women during the dissolution of the apartheid regime and has since documented the lives of these families across multiple generations. His secondary research examines glucocorticoid resistance and neuroinflammation as possible mechanisms influencing the psychiatric and psychosomatic symptoms of long COVID in Johannesburg, South Africa and San Francisco, USA.
Andrea Chan, Psy.D
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Richmond Area Multi-Services (RAMS)
Email: andreachan@ramsinc.org
Slides
Dr. Chan is a staff clinician and clinical supervisor at RAMS, a community-based mental health organization. She has years of experience providing psychotherapy to severely mental ill, low income, and immigrant population. On a part-time basis, she also works in a private practice setting.
Soo Jin Lee, LMFT
Executive Director of Yellow Chair Collective
Co-founder of Entwine Community
Co-Author of 'Where I Belong: Healing Trauma and Embracing Asian American Identity
Email: soojin@yellowchaircollective.com
Slides
Soo Jin Lee, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist, executive director of Yellow Chair Collective, co-founder of Entwine Community, and co-author of the book, ‘Where I Belong: Healing Trauma and Embracing Asian American Identity’. As a previously undocumented Asian immigrant who struggled to access mental healthcare, she brings a unique perspective to her work. Lee has a degree in fine arts, and creativity plays an essential role in her personal and therapeutic process. When she's not spending quality time with her family, she can often be found exploring nature on a hiking trail or offering expert guidance in psychotherapy to individuals and groups alike.